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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Are you as glad as I am that the prison riot is over? Towards the end it was getting a bit too silly for me. Once they dragged Natalie into the prison it became more of a comedy for me than anything else. I died laughing at that scene where Carlo asked Natalie to choose to have either John or Cristian shot and John yelled, “Just shoot me and get it over with”…and Cristian yelled, “Shoot me.” I was sitting on my couch yelling, Oh heck, shoot ME for having to watch this.” Then to top it all off Natalie decides she wants to be the one to be shot because she loves both men and can’t decide which one to dispose of. I’m sorry, I’ve been enjoying most of the writing lately, but that scene was just too ridiculous.
And speaking of ridiculous…it happens to be December…Winter in Llanview, Pennsylvania. I know how cold it can get since Pennsylvania is our neighbor here in New York. Everyone is pretty much bundled up in winter clothing and for some reason the wardrobe department, or whoever decides these things, insisted on putting Natalie in a skimpy tank top and a little blazer to face the cold standing outside the prison. I guess they thought that scarf draped around her neck would keep her warm…lol. And was it so warm inside the prison that Melissa Archer had to do those scenes without her jacket? I suppose Carlo thought she was a really tasty morsel, but I have never liked the way they objectify Natalie. They insist on cheapening her image with the way she dresses a lot of the time. Now I’ll be waiting for all the mail telling me that she is cheap and that’s why she dresses that way….LOL!
And I guess the rest of Llanview didn’t feel the cold…or the snow…when RJ, Antonio and Nash were arguing at Llanfair with the door wide open. Good thing they don’t have to worry about paying the heating bills for that mansion.
Back to Natalie for a minute…say what you will…I think Melissa Archer did a really good job as the totally furious Natalie when they all finally got out of the prison and she looked at John, looked at Cristian, walked over to Evangeline and told her if she wanted John he was all hers…and then walked over to Cristian and said, “As for you, you’re on your own.” Her delivery was great when she said to both men, “I never want to see either one of you lying bastards again.” Of course she doesn’t mean that, but it was great to hear nonetheless.
I get very annoyed with RJ these days. I know he loves Jamie, but he was just so quick to take that deal from Antonio where his latest criminal dirty dealings would be covered up in exchange for keeping quiet about the Antonio/Layla debacle in court. And of course, RJ had to go home and tell Lindsay what happened so now she’s all stirred up about getting “her daughter” back from Antonio. This is old and boring.
I’m trying to give Antonio a break and think about his feelings these days, but he’s making it very difficult. I was touched when he told Jess, “I love you from the bottom of my soul and my feelings have never changed.” And I felt for him when he said that if he acknowledged that Tess exists then he’ll lose Jessica forever. I do believe that he feels that way, but he still refuses to face the facts as they are and it has to be frustrating for Jessica to keep having to tell him that he can’t blow off Nash and that Tess is real. Antonio will not believe that Tess is real and he is becoming an obstacle to Jessica, in my opinion, because if she has to worry about his attitude and about keeping the peace between him and Nash, it’s not going to be helpful to her recovery. Jessica is a huge-hearted person, like her mother, and I am not the least bit surprised that she has come to understand and accept that Nash truly loves Tess and that he’s a part of the situation whether anyone likes it or not. When she tells Antonio that he can’t dismiss Nash, Antonio has no idea why he can’t do just that.
Nash, on the other hand, is in the toughest position, in my opinion. I wasn’t at all surprised the other day when Jessica let him touch her stomach and feel the baby kick and he kissed her. He sees Tess when he looks at Jessica and I’m sure that Jessica is a side of Tess that he doesn’t mind at all. I’m sure it wasn’t much fun for Antonio to walk in on that kiss and I don’t blame him. What a mess this situation is!
It was interesting to hear Michael’s discussions with both Natalie and Evangeline where he told Natalie that she couldn’t just turn off her feelings for John because her husband came back from the dead…and when he told Evangeline that he knows she still loves John. I also love the way Michael always hounds John. Michael is the only one who seems to be able to get away with it and sometimes it’s funny to see how John would like to haul off and pop him…but doesn’t do it. I like the relationship between these two brothers. And when John told Michael he’d like to live the whole last year of his life over again I thought, yeah, wouldn’t that be nice. But too bad John, you’re not Bobby Ewing.
Good conversation between John and Evangeline. He told he she was right about everything…hmmm…maybe yes…maybe no. It was good that he apologized, even though it didn’t come close to fixing the mess they are all in right now.
Lots of interesting information is coming out about Spencer, Paige and what Spencer is holding over her head. Obviously the hints are telling us that Paige was drunk or under the influence of something during an operation and now we find out that Michael and John’s father died on the operating table when the surgeon didn’t save him because that surgeon was drunk. Oh boy…this is big. And how does David fit in?
Speaking of Spencer…I cringed when he showed up at the jail and offered to testify for Todd. I think Todd is right…Spencer would love the chance to bury him in court. And doesn’t mutual hatred make for strange bedfellows? First Asa teams up with Dorian to go after Spencer, then Dorian shows up at the jail to let Todd know they have one thing in common, a disdain for Spencer.
I am enjoying seeing Hugh and Marcie dating. I thought it was really funny when Marcie told Evangeline they weren’t on a date and Hugh said, “Why aren’t you calling this a date?” He’s too cute, but it’s strange to have him as the prosecutor because usually in a courtroom battle on a soap opera, the defendant is someone we love and want to see avenged because they are innocent and the prosecutor is someone who is out for blood and we always hate the prosecutor (except maybe for Hank Gannon, but sometimes I even disliked him when he prosecuted someone I liked.). In this case, Hugh is someone we think is adorable and lovable and that’s something new. Of course, Todd is not the most sympathetic defendant, and even though I think he’s innocent and Spencer is behind what happened to Margaret, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Todd. The only reason I feel sorry for Todd is because no one deserves to be behind bars while a slime like Spencer runs amok trying to ruin their life.
And exactly what do you think Spencer did to Kelly during that procedure? You know he’s up to no good and whether he did something during the operation or has plans to do something now that he has “set the scene” remains to be seen.
How cute was Rex when he walked into Bo’s hospital room, thought he had died, crumbled to the floor crying and then saw that Bo was still alive? I have to give kudos to John Paul Lavoisier. When Rex first came to Llanview, determined to make trouble, I couldn’t stand the sight of him. Now I love seeing every scene he’s in. It takes quite an actor and some fine writing to make me change my mind that way.
And now, on to the biggest surprise for me…I am totally enjoying Niki Smith. I know, I know, I dreaded her coming back, but the side of me that just loves some comedy on my soaps loves watching her. She just killed me when Clint was questioning her about taking Jessica to bars and she said, “Yeah, sometimes I would get bored and go to a bar. I’d meet a guy I liked and I’d do this…..” The she planted a big old kiss on Clint’s lips. I’ll bet no one on the show is having more fun these days in their work than Erika and Bree. Niki was a riot lying under the covers supposedly naked trying to get Clint to join her and calling his girlfriend Dallas, “Houston.” The best line was when she gave up trying to seduce Clint and said, “I forgot what a stick in the mud you are. Chasing Benjy was more fun than you…not a lot though.” I’m sure chasing Ben was more fun for Niki because poor Ben didn’t know he was dealing with Niki. Too bad…but don’t get me started on that. It was just like Niki to refuse to help Jessica…I wonder what it’s going to take to get to the secret because it’s not supposed to be revealed for months yet. Something tells me I’m not going to be so happy by February when we still probably won’t know what’s up.
I totally enjoyed the reunion between Antonio and Cristian. I have always liked these two brothers. Not many people can make Antonio cry and not care about showing tears…but maybe Antonio is making progress with his temper. Hey, at least he made sure to ask Cristian if he had any neurological damage before he punched him in the face. I thought that was real growth for Antonio…didn’t you?
And we can’t end the week without commenting on Cristian’s reunion with his mother. I was expecting a lot more Dios Mio’s out of Carlotta, weren’t you? The poor woman has sure been through the ringer in the past couple of years with both of her sons, so I will have to temporarily forgive her for the way she treated Natalie. If I were Natalie I would have been shocked, too, when Carlotta just assumed that everything would go back to the way it was before for her son and his wife. I thought it was very curious that she reminded Natalie of the sacred vows she took with Cristian but conveniently forgot to chastise Cristian for letting everyone, including his wife, think he was dead. Sure, she was so glad to see Cristian alive that she’d forgive him anything, but I hope she’ll rethink the way she spoke to Natalie when she calms down a bit.
And in conclusion, the Line Of The Week Award definitely goes to David Vickers, who so perfectly told his brother Spencer, “You have the ethics of a pit viper!” Amen David…but actually, I imagine that if thrown into one of those pits, the vipers would either run from Spencer or toss him out and run in terror!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Joan writes: “I really wish that Natalie does not choose either John or Cristian at this point. Why can't Natalie do something constructive in her life like go on to college and have a career of importance rather than always being torn between men! At least the writers made Jessica a reporter. Natalie has a no end job at the police department thanks to her Uncle Bo. She could go to the police academy and become a woman on her own! Oh by the way, I am sick of DID on the show. When in doubt bring on an alter! Even though Viki is a great Niki...and Jessica is a great Tess...get rid of the alters ASAP!”
Dear Joan: I think plenty of people would like to see Natalie lay off both guys for a while…or any guys for that matter. It might be a good idea but I don’t see it happening, do you? And since she has resigned from her job at the police station, I’m interested to see what she does next. I think it would be pretty funny to see Natalie and Rex at the police academy. As far as the DID storyline goes, I don’t like the fact that they drag out the mental illness storyline every time they feel they need it, but unless Niki does something really awful, I think I can stand it. (But we all know she’ll probably do something awful before you even read this…lol!) I also think that the DID storyline has given Bree Williamson a great showcase for a talent we never would have seen if she continued to play the Jessica we’ve always known and loved. I think we’ve all benefited by her stretching her wings and I am never less than awestruck when I watch Erika Slezak in action in any storyline…she hasn’t disappointed this time around either.
Brenda writes: “Jill I enjoyed your article until you made that crack about Evangeline using the Chris reveal to get John back! Ha, ha excuse me while I laugh! I suppose it would have been better to let Chris rot in jail than try to get an innocent man released from prison? Nope if Evangeline wanted John back, all she has to do is tell him! He would be back with her before Natalie could cry “why her, why not me”! Funny how you barely mention “our little Nat” being the irrational, eternal victim she has become. What sane person would run to a prison riot after she was told repeatedly to stay away and what pray tell was she going to do? Barge into the prison and rescue John herself?”
Dear Brenda: Well, if you think Evangeline isn’t human enough to have even the slightest bit of selfish motive in freeing Cristian, then I think you are deluding yourself. It’s interesting how everyone who knows her assumes she has a personal interest in freeing Cristian other than “doing what’s right.” Of course Evangeline is an honorable person and believes in doing what’s right, but she has a huge stake in this…no doubt about it and denying it or avoiding discussing it with the people closest to her makes it very obvious that she doesn’t want to admit her feelings. And if all Evangeline had to do to get John back was to tell him she wanted him back, then why wasn’t he waiting around for her to change her mind and come back to him. Why did he turn to Natalie the first chance he got? Evangeline wanted out because he couldn’t give her what she wanted and he wasn’t willing…or able…to give her what she wanted when she was walking out the door. He let her walk away. He’s got problems in dealing with his feelings…Evangeline is never going to accept that in a partner…and up until he lied to her, Natalie was willing to accept him as he is. Who knows how long that would have lasted and how long Natalie would be happy with that? But that’s the way it is. And as for “our little Nat”….I wish people would at least be honest and admit that I have never painted Natalie as a saint, nor have I painted her as a mature young woman who should have learned by now to have enough confidence in herself to stand on her own as a woman…with our without a man. As far as Natalie running back to the prison…hey, let’s remember this is a soap opera…who stays home in Llanview waiting for the phone to ring to find out everything is ok? Please!
CDicker 102 writes: “The Dec. 5th episode where Natalie tells both John and Cristian that she hates them both has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Now I know why I quit watching OLTL 15 years ago because of stupid dialog consisting of nothing but clichés. Natalie really is pathetic and not worthy of Viki.”
Dear Cdicke102: One questions…If you stopped watching the show 15 years ago, how
do you know about Natalie telling Cris and John she hates them both…LOL…and how
do you know that it was on December 5th? Why do so many people who
say they’ve sworn off watching the show know exactly what’s going on at every
moment? I say if you’re interested enough to scour the Internet for OLTL
information, you should watch the show (but I’ll bet you really do). That way
you can form your own opinions first hand and maybe enjoy it a little bit, too.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2005
